For Immediate Release
March 21, 2023
Contact: Chantal Fuller, Communications Director
202-355-8431
cfuller@dccouncil.gov

                                                                 Councilmember Henderson Introduces Legislation to Support Students’ Access to Life-Saving Medication 

Washington, DC – Today, Councilmember Henderson introduced legislation that would ensure the safety of students with asthma and diabetes with the Access to Emergency Albuterol and Glucagon Amendment Act of 2023. 

The physical, mental, academic, and emotional safety of all students is of chief concern in our District schools. This legislation would amend the Student Access to Treatment Act of 2007 to authorize employees and agents of public schools who have been certified under an Office of the State Superintendent of Education medication administration training program to administer undesignated albuterol to a student who is suffering or about to suffer an asthma attack and undesignated glucagon to a student who is suffering or about to suffer hypoglycemia due to diabetes.  

Currently, students enrolled in public and public charter schools must have a medication action plan to self-administer inhaled asthma medication or diabetes medication. To enable student self-administration of medication, the parent, legal guardian, or the student must obtain authorization on the medication action plan from a licensed practitioner. However, in the case of an emergency where a student without a medication action plan is showing signs of an asthma attack or of hypoglycemia due to diabetes, school staff are currently not permitted to administer undesignated medication to the student. There is also currently no undesignated albuterol or glucagon available at public and public charter school campuses.  

The lack of availability of undesignated albuterol and glucagon on school campuses, and the lack of authority for a school employee to administer undesignated medication, puts many students at severe risk. In the District, only 15.2% of students with asthma have an asthma action plan and 71.7% of students with diabetes have a diabetes management plan. This means that, in the case of a medical emergency, almost 9 in 10 children with asthma would not be able to access albuterol and 1 in 3 children with diabetes would not be able to access glucagon. It is vital that we do not experience preventable deaths or further complications of pre-existing health conditions due to students’ lack of access to medication.  

“As the District continues to recruit and retain qualified school-based health personnel, it is imperative that certified staff step in to provide the medication support the student requires. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to ensure DC students always have access to life-saving medication while under the care of school staff,” said Councilmember Henderson.  

The Access to Emergency Albuterol and Glucagon Amendment Act of 2023 was co-introduced by Councilmembers Charles Allen, Zachary Parker, Brianne K. Nadeau, Anita Bonds, Brooke Pinto, and Janeese Lewis-George.

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